Motor starting switch



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June 30, 1931. w. s. PFEIFER MOTOR STARTING SWITCH Filed Dec. so, 1927 Patented June 30, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER S. PFEIFER, OF MILWAUKEE,

WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESN E ASSIGNF IiIENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO LYNDE BRADLEY AND ONE-HALF TO HARRY Ii. BRADLEY,

BOTH F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN MOTOR STARTING SWITCH Application filed December 30, 1927. Serial No. 243,687.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in motor starting switches and has as its object the provision of improved means whereby the same may be readily employed with either 110 or 220 volt current without necessitating any mechanical change or alteration in the structure or wiring of either the switch or motor.

Heretofore, it has been necessary to alter the wiring at the terminals of a motor to permit its use with either 110 or 220 voltage current and this invention has as an object the provision of an improved auxiliary switch device incorporated within the starting switch proper whereby it may be adapted for use with either 110 or 220 volt current by the simple expedient of changing the position of the auxiliary switch device.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a starting switch embodying my invention, the cover of the switch housing being open;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring diagram of a repulsion type motor connected with my improved starting switch, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail side elevat-ional view of the auxiliary switch device for adjusting the starting switch for either 110 or 220 voltage current, said view being taken on the plane of the line 33 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals designate lfite parts, M desi nates a motor of the repulsion type having .eld windings 5 rent is used, as the character of current is accommodated by the simple expedient of throwing a two way auxiliary switch to one of two positions.

The starting or casing 7 having a door or cover 8 hingedly mounted and provided with a starting button 9 and a stopping button 10, to be later described. A panel 11 of slate or other insulating material is fixed within the housing 7 and mounts four terminals 12, 13, 14 and 15 with which conductors 16, 17, 18 and 19, respectively, are connected, the conductors, 16 and 18 being connected with the ends of the winding 5 and the conductors 17 and 19 with the ends of the windings 6.

Mounted on the panel 11 is a switch device consisting of asolenoid 20 and a cooperating armature 21 carrying a transverse member 22 of insulating material from which movable contacts 23 and 24 are supported, the contacts 23 and 24 being engageable with stationary contacts 25 and 26, respectively.

A terminal 27 is disposed between the mountings of the stationary contacts 25 and 26 and the service power lines 28 and 29 are connected with the contact 25 and the termi nal 27, respectively.

The solenoid 20 is connectible across the lines 28 and 29 by manipulation of the starting button 9 to energize the same and engage the contacts 23 and 24 with the contacts 25 and 26, in the manner later described. A conductor 30 connects the line 28 with one fixed contact 31 of a time controlled relay device 3 2, the other fixed contact 33 being connected with one side of the solenoid 20 by a. eoiiduc'toi 34; the time relay device having switch consists of a housing are adapted to a movable contactor 35 and a solenoid 36 for actuating the same to disconnect the contacts 31 and 33. The other side of the solenoid 20 is connected with a terminal 37 mounted on the panel above the terminal v15 by a conductor 38, a lead 39 connecting the terminal 37 Witha contact 40 of the stop switch 10 which is mounted on a panel 41 fixed to the cover or door 8,'the other contact 42 of the stop switch being connected with a terminal 43 adjacent the terminal 37 by a lead 44 and a conductor 45 connecting the terminal 43 with the movable contact 24.

The contacts 40 and 42 of the stop switch be operated by the movable contactor 46 and the contact 42 is common to the starting button and is adapted to be electrically connected with a contact 47 by a movable contactor 48, the contact 47 being connected with a terminal 49 in line-with the terminals 37 and 43 by a flexible-lead 50,]tlie terminal 49 being also connected with the terminal 14 and consequently'one side of the winding 5 through the conductor 18 and the cond tor Mounted onthe panelll above the terminals. 37,, 43 and 459, andto one; side of the solenoid acfluated switch, is an, auxiliary switch device consisting of a pair of switch blades 52, and 53,,the1blade 52 being of substantially diamond shape and theblade 53 ot approximately half diamond shape, or substantially triangulan The blades are each pivoted to the: panel attheirlower apex, as at 54 and 54", respectively, are connected at their upper ends by a transverse insulator member 55 mounting an actuating handle 56 The auxiliary switch is movable to one positionso that one side of the blade 52 is engaged with a, spring clip contact device 57 or to another position whereby the other sideof the blade 52;is engaged with a spring contact device 58 and the, blade 53 is engaged; with a spring; contact'device 59,the switch, when ina medialposition as illustrated inFigure 3, being free of the spring clip contacts.

The blades 52; and 53 are connected within the circuits by conductors connected with thepivotal their mountings 54. and 54', mounting 54 being connected with the stationar contact26by a conductor 60and with one si e of the-winding 5 by a conductor161con nectedwith theterminal14, and the'pivotal mounting 54 is connected with the movable contact 23 by a conductor 62 and with'one side of, the winding 37 of the relayv32 by aconductor 63 connected with the conductor 23, the other side of the winding 36being connected withone side. of, the winding 5 by a condnctor64 connected with. the; terminal 12. The contact 57 is, connected with the contact 59 by aconductor 65 and the-contact 59' is connected with, one side ofthe- W .fi ygeee uc oe e slw t the terminal 13 and the contact 58 is connected with the line 29 by a conductor 67 connected with the terminal 27 and with one side of the winding 6 by a conductor 68 connected with the terminal 15.

When it is desired 10 employ the improved switch above described with a motor of the type described where the available line voltage is 110, the conductors- 16, 17, 18 and 19 connected with the motor windingsare connected with the swizc h terminals 12, 13, 14 and 15, respectively, in the conventional manner and the auxiliary switch device is swung downwardly with respect to Figures 1 and 2, or to the left with respect to Figure 3, engaging 1 he vblades 52 and 53 withthe contacts. 58 and 59, respectively. The windings 5 and 6 are then connected in parallel so that depression of the starting button 9 connects the solenoid 20 across the 1inesf28 and 29 the current flowing from the line 28 through conductor 30, across the contacts 31 and 33 of the relay, conductor 34, through the solenoid, conductors 38 and 39, contactor 46 and 4-8, conductors 50-, 51 and 61, blade and to the line 29 through the conductor 67. The solenoid being energized, the: armature 21 is-attracted thereto engaging the mov' able contacts 23 and 24 with the contacts 25 and 26 and connecting'the windingslti and 6 with thc'lines 28' and 29. H

dhfter the solenoid has been initiallyenergized, the pressure on the button 9 may be released, being returned to its inactive posiwinding 6 is likewise connected acrom the lines 28 and 29, the circuit being through the line 28, contacts 25 and 23, conductor 62, blade 53, conductors 66 and 17 through the winding and back to the line-29, throughconductors19, 68 and 67. The windings 5nd 6 are then connected across the linesin parallel and the motoris wired to function with current of llOvolts;

The relay device 32 is a conventional type of overloadprotecting-device, aszshould an overload occur in the motor circuit, the circuit of the solenoid 20isbroken between the oontacts31 and 33 inthe customary manner. WVhen it is desired to stop the motor,the button 1,0 is depressed, breaking the circuit of the; s r ice n s; I 1 I Assume the service line voltage is 220 volts, the switch is connected with the windings 5 and .6 in the identical manner above described and the conductors 16, 17 18 and 19 are connected with the terminals 12, 13, 14 and 15, respectively, but the auxiliary switch device is swung upwardly with respect to Figures 1 and 2, and to the right with Figure 3, as aresult of which the windings 5 and 6 are connected in series and assuming the contacts 23 and 24: have been connected with the con tacts 25 and 26 by operation of the starting switches above described, the current then flows from the line 28, through the contacts 25 and 23, conductor 63, winding 36, conductors 64- and 16, winding 5, conductors 18 and 61, blade 52, conductors 65, 66 and 17, through winding 6 and back to the line 29 through conductors 19, 68 and 67.

Another objectionable feature ofstarting switches of the character described is that in addition to necessitating revision of the electrical hook-up of the motor windings, it has been necessary to change the solenoid of the main switch, inasmuch as a single solenoid cannot operate with either 110 or 220 volts and it has also been necessary to change the winding of the overload protecting device dependent upon the service line voltage. With the present invention, these objectionable featuresare also overcome as the solenoid 20 is at all times connected across the ends of one of the windings, in the present in stance the winding 5, and, therefore, the

o voltage supplied the solenoid is always 110 volts, inasmuch as the winding 5 at no time receives more than 110 volts.

The solenoid 36 being in series with the winding 5 likewise always receives the same current as supplied the winding and, there fore, the necessity of mechanically changing any parts of the starting apparatus to permit its use with either 110 or 220 volts is overcome.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which an invention of this character appertains, that I have provided a novel and improved starting switch for electrical devices of all types which will permit of a common wiring of the switch with the electrical device irrespective of the line voltage, the difference in the line voltage being compensated for by the simple expedient of changing the position of an auxiliary switch device whereby the windings or other mechanism of the electrical apparatus are con nected either in series or parallel depending upon the line voltages.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination with an electric translating device capable of operation from sources of electrical energy of different voltages and having a plurality of electro-responsive elements adapted to be connected in series and in parallel depending upon the voltage of the available source of electrical energy, an electric switch apparatus including a line switch adapted to connect the plurality of electro-responsive elements with a source of electrical energy and having an operat ing solenoid, said operating solenoid being responsive to a predetermined voltage and being at all times connected across one of the electro-responsive elements so that the voltage supplied thereto is no greater than that supplied said element, circuits including the electro-responsive elements and the operating solenoid, and an auxiliary switch connected in said circuits for connecting the electro-responsive elements in parallel or in series by the simple expedient of actuating the auxiliary switch.

2. In combination with an electric translating device capable of operation from sources of electrical energy of dilferent voltages and having a plurality of electro-responsive elements adapted to be connected in series and in parallel voltage of the available source of electrical energy, an electric switch apparatus including a line switch adapted to connect the plurality of electro-responsive elements with a source of electrical energy and having an operating solenoid, said operating solenoid being responsive to a predetermined voltage and being at all times connected across one of the electro-responsive elements so that the voltage supplied thereto is no greater than that supplied said element, circuits including the electro-responsive elements and the operating solenoid, an auxiliary switch connected in said circuits for connecting the electromesponsive elements in parallel or in series by the simple expedient of actuating the auxiliary switch, and an overload protecting device including a winding in series with one of the electro-responsive elements whereby the current supplied said winding is at all times equal to that supplied said element.

3. In an electric translating system, a circuit system including current leads arranged for connection with supply sources of different voltages, a plurality of electrical translating devices, selector means operable for dis tributing current from said leads through the system in a circuit including said devices in series when in one position and for distributing current in a circuit including said devices in parallel when in another position, dependent on the voltage value at the leads, an electro-magnetic circuit closer for the system, and an operating circuit for said circuit closer, said operating circuit being connected in shunt to one of said translating devices for operation at a constant voltage regardless of the voltage value at said leads.

4. In an electric translating system having electrical devices arranged for either series or depending upon the v parallel circuit connection with a current source at different applied voltages, a control switch unit comprising the combination with an electro-magnetic circuit closer, of means selectively operable to one position for disposing said circuit closer and devices in series connection and to another position for I disposing said devices in parallel connection with the circuit closer in serially common connection therewith, said circuit closer having a manually governed operating circuit shunted across one of said devices whereby to operate at all times on the same voltage.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

" WALTER s. PFEIFER. 

